Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Beijing, December 13 (Xinhua) — The Council of the European Union on Friday decided to freeze Russian assets "until the conflict is resolved and compensation is paid to Ukraine." This decision removed the most serious obstacle to using these funds to provide aid to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova responded to the European Commission's decision with one word: "shell riggers."
"The EU has just decided to freeze Russian assets indefinitely. This guarantees that up to €210 billion in Russian funds will remain in the EU unless Moscow fully pays Kyiv reparations for the damage caused," EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas said on social media.
According to media reports, Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, and Malta announced they voted in favor of a long-term freeze on Russian assets. They also stated that a decision on the continued use of Russian funds in Ukraine's interests should be made at the EU summit.
As European Council President António Costa wrote on the social media platform X, "at the October summit, EU leaders announced that Russia's assets must be frozen" until the end of the conflict and "until the damage caused is fully compensated." "Today, we fulfilled this promise," he wrote, adding that following the decision to permanently freeze Russian assets, the EU's next step is a decision on Kyiv's funding for 2026-2027.
Hungary and Slovakia oppose providing more aid to Ukraine. Analysts believe the EU Council's decision will eliminate the previous six-monthly vote on extending the asset freeze, and Brussels has "removed the most serious obstacle" to using these funds to help Ukraine. "This removes the risk that Hungary and Slovakia, which have better relations with Moscow than other EU countries, could at some point refuse to extend the freeze, forcing the EU to return the funds to Russia," Reuters noted.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said the vote to change Russia's asset freezing procedure would be a "Rubicon" for the European Union and the end of the rule of law.
In a letter to Andrzej Košta, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that he would refuse to support any steps that "involve covering Ukraine's military expenses for the coming years." "The use of frozen Russian assets could directly threaten US peace efforts, which are directly relying on these resources to rebuild Ukraine," he warned.
Kirill Dmitriev, the special representative of the Russian president and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), noted that European governments that decided to permanently freeze $210 billion in Russian assets will face "consequences for their illegal actions." "This isn't just about Russia—it's about undermining trust in the global reserve system, the rule of law, and Europe's financial solvency," he wrote in his post.
On Friday, the Bank of Russia filed a lawsuit against Euroclear in the Moscow Arbitration Court, demanding compensation for damages caused by the illegal freezing of assets. The regulator also promised to challenge all "direct or indirect" actions by the European Commission regarding the unauthorized use of Russian assets.
"We are doing everything we can to protect our gold and foreign exchange reserves, including the Central Bank. Because illegal confiscation is absolutely unacceptable to us," emphasized Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova responded to the EU's decision with one word: "Scammers," she said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, noted that Brussels, with its decision to plunder the Central Bank of the Russian Federation's assets, is launching a program of self-destruction for the European Union. It will be followed by a flurry of retaliatory measures from Russia, which risk seriously undermining the euro's position as a global reserve currency. "The EC's decision to freeze Russian assets is de facto approval of their confiscation. Final approval is expected at the EU summit on December 18-19. And if this follows the expropriation scenario, Brussels will lay a mine under the Bretton Woods system, seriously undermining the euro's position as a global reserve currency," he said.
As reported by the TASS news agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin previously stated that the confiscation of Russian assets being discussed in Europe would be an act of theft. Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuichenko told TASS that the country's leadership has already been presented with possible responses to the possible seizure of Russian assets by Western countries. Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Moscow will not leave such actions unanswered.
As a reminder, following the start of Russia's special operation in Ukraine, the European Union and G7 countries froze almost half of Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves, amounting to approximately €300 billion. Of these, over €200 billion are held by the European Union. The European Commission reported that from January to November 2025, the EU transferred €18.1 billion in proceeds from Russia's frozen assets to Ukraine.
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